MUHLENBERG COUNTY, Ky. (9/14/13) – The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) recently released the Top 50 Community Bank Leaders in Social Media. This ranking, the first of its kind, highlights the community bank social media trailblazers among the financial industry. First Kentucky Bank was featured #25 on the list.

“Congratulations to all the community banks and community bankers featured on ICBA’s Top 50 Community Bank Leaders in Social Media and ICBA’s Top 20 Community Banker Influencers on Twitter,” ICBA Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer Chris Lorence said. “Building a brand goes beyond a perceived geographical footprint; social media opens the doors of opportunity even wider for community banks. Consumers now expect fresh content, insight and consistent interaction with brands they are connected to online, and community banks are no exception. ICBA is proud to highlight those community banks and bankers who are blazing a critical trail forward by making social media an integral part of their brand and communications strategy.”

Nearly 7,000 community banks throughout the nation were eligible to be part of ICBA’s list. Community banks were chosen based on their engagement with fans and followers, the content distributed on their social media platforms, the number of fans and/or followers they have, and the frequency of posting new content. Several of the community banks featured on ICBA’s Top 50 Community Bank Leaders in Social Media will be profiled in September’s issue of ICBA Independent Banker.

“First Kentucky is pleased to be featured on ICBA’s Top 50 Community Bank Leaders in Social Media list,” said Laura Stinson, Director of Marketing for First Kentucky. “It is an honor for us to be recognized for our efforts on social media because we see it as a unique channel for communicating with our customers and strengthening ties with both our customers and community.”

First Kentucky also received special recognition for their accomplishment from Computer Services Inc (CSI), which is one of the bank’s local vendors. CSI is a technology-based company that delivers core processing, managed services, mobile and internet, payments processing, print and electronic distribution, and regulatory compliance for financial institutions and corporate entities all over the nation. CSI complimented First Kentucky by asking Marketing Assistant Amanda Janes to provide a blog about their social media process to help provide insight and encouragement for others. “Amanda plays a crucial role in First Kentucky’s social media presence,” commented Stinson. The social media blog was posted on CSI’s website under their blog section on September 4, 2013. The blog link, “How One Bank Does Social Media Right,” was also tweeted to their followers. To learn more about First Kentucky’s social media presence, follow the conversation on Facebook or Twitter.

Established in 1899, First Kentucky is a Kentucky-based community bank with assets exceeding $365 million. The bank operates 10 offices in six counties of western Kentucky, including Carlisle, Graves, Livingston, Marshall, Muhlenberg, and Ohio.